16 Girls on the Election Night Moment That Made Them Cry

If you got emotional watching the election results roll in last night, you're not alone. On a night when many expected to be sobbing happy tears as the United States elected its first female president, some voters found themselves crying out of sadness and fear. Sixteen girls, including 12 first-time voters, talked to Seventeen.com about the moment they couldn't hold back anymore.

1. When Hillary Clinton's chances plunged.

"My friend and I were trying to stay optimistic, but we couldn't do it anymore when we saw that Hillary only had a 5 percent chance of winning. We mourned together and tried to comfort one another. I'm gay and my friend is black. My family is mainly from Mexico and I'm worried about how people will treat my younger sister, who is disabled. There's a lot of fear in my heart." — Shaunae, 18

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2. When she saw her kid sister.

"I walked in the door of my mother's home around 10 p.m., saw my 12-year-old sister, and it just clicked. I thought, 'We are going to lose this election to this man.' I couldn't keep my sister's face out of my head. That's when I broke down. Every new blob of red on the map felt like a slap in the face. I felt betrayed. I felt like I had put hope and faith for all these years into a country that doesn't value who I am or what I stand for — and it was scary. I am in fear for my safety and I wish I could go back to before I realized how badly this country view women, minorities, and LGBTQIA+ people." — Taylor, 21

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3. When Mike Pence called Donald Trump "president-elect."

"I remember feeling numb through most of the night. As I watched, my friends were texting me pictures of them crying and for some reason I wasn't — maybe there was a little hope left in me. But the moment I broke down was when Donald Trump walked on stage after being announced as the president-elect. I think I didn't want to believe it was happening but the second Pence said 'president-elect' and Trump stepped on stage, I immediately burst into tears, like a blubbering mess of tears." — Rebecca, 19

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4. When the future became a giant question mark.

"The first time I cried last night was when I realized that I — a female member of the LGBTQ community who just so happens to come from a family of immigrants — have been let down from a country whose very purpose was to to be fair and equal for all. It hurts to feel like your own country hates you and doesn't care about you. I also was beyond shaken as a sexual assault survivor that we let a man who has such a clear disrespect for women hold such a powerful title. I continue crying because the future for me and other minorities is so unclear and people have the nerve as to tell us to 'get over it' and 'it's not that bad.'" — Natalie, 16

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5. When her friends expressed fear for their safety.

"The final straw was waking up to texts messages that mostly said, 'What's going to happen to us? I'm terrified.' It really hit me that people are fearing for their lives even more now. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I instantly felt numb, sick to my stomach and just cried into my pillow." — Mikayla, 20

6. When she thought of the Muslim girl she babysits.

"My dad woke me up for school this morning and we cried. We cried not for us, but for everyone. For the little girl I babysit who isn't wearing her hijab today. For my best friend's sister, who's terrified she won't be able to get married now. I cried for America, because we are broken." — Lillian, 18

7. When she saw an ad featuring Hillary as a girl.

"I saw an ad for Hillary. The image of her as a young woman picking up up the books struck me because I saw myself in that. I saw so many young woman with ambitions and the drive to work for them. I saw girls who were willing to do as much work as it took to make a difference. I was so inspired by this woman who, flawed as she may be, was making history. I smiled for a moment and then I found out that she lost Florida. I felt my chest tighten and panic set in and all of a sudden it felt very real to me that she could lose. It started to feel probable. When I saw the images of people crying at the Javits Center, I couldn't help but join in." — Ellie, 16

8. When a Snapchat joke stopped seeming funny.

"My first tears actually came while filming a Snapchat. Trump was in the lead but hadn't won yet, and I was using the deer filter to create a lighthearted snap about how disappointed I was in America. Halfway through, I just broke. It had never occurred to me before that he was actually capable of winning and now he was. I realized that a reality star, racist, and sexist beat out someone like me — an ambitious woman who has spent her whole life working twice as hard as the men just to keep up. It was offensive and disappointing and sad and shocking all at once." — Darcy, 21

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9. When Trump won the Sunshine State.

"After watching the map light up red state after red state, I broke down when Trump took Florida. That state is historically known as the 'upset' — this was the beginning of the end. Following the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando earlier this year, you would think that the LGBT and Latino communities in Florida would rally around Secretary Clinton, who went above and beyond to lend her support and demand justice for the victims. Instead, as hot tears streamed down my cheeks, the 29-electoral-vote state turned red, indicating a huge gain on Trump's behalf and the start of the nightmare we are facing today: President Trump." — Christina, 20

10. When she Googled the results.

"I couldn't stay up last night to see the results because I work early in the morning. But when I Googled it this morning, I just stared at my wall in tears, angry and sad and frustrated. I couldn't even get out of bed. I have so many friends of many different races and ethnicities and I have gay friends and FEMALE friends and I guess my last straw was knowing that the people I love who fall into those categories will lose the feeling of being comfortable with who they are, as if it isn't already hard enough." — Josie, 19

11. When she pondered the next four years.

"I saw a tweet that said, 'People have stayed in abusive relationships for longer and survived... we'll get through the next four years.' That was my breaking point. I don't have a solution. I don't have anything to offer but the love and support to the communities whose glass ceilings were turned into cement in the blink of an eye. Love each other a little more today, and continue the fight we have begun." — Kayte, 21

12. When her dad compared Hillary's loss to Bernie's.

"I tried to stay awake last night to hear the results live but I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was the first thing I checked. When I saw Donald Trump, I was in disbelief, but didn't break down in tears. When I spoke to my father, he agreed that he was upset and it's how he felt about Bernie not having become the Democratic nominee. "But", I started to explain, "the way I feel is different". He didn't have to fear for his life, his rights, his future just because Bernie wasn't the nominee. I cried, really cried, after saying "Hillary deserved to win". Because she did, above all else, but especially above Trump" — Camille, 16

13. When projections for battleground states came in.

"I think the final straw for me was seeing Trump predicted to win the battleground states. I knew at that point that it wasn't going to end the way I wanted. I cried for me and the rights that I will lose, I cried for my POC friends who face the ugly racism that has taken over, and most of all I cried for my non-binary friend who stayed home from school because he was too afraid." — Kaci

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14. When she lost faith in fellow voters.

"My friends and I had been periodically checking fivethirtyeight.com while watching the election coverage, and when it said that Trump had a better chance of winning than Hillary, it really hit me and I started to cry. It was hard because until then, I was confident that Hillary would win. All the polls up until Election Day had her winning, and I guess I trusted them too much. I also think I placed too much trust in my fellow Americans. I thought we would triumph over this. I did not think we would actually elect a man who openly brags about sexual assault, makes fun of a disabled reporter, and so blatantly hates immigrants, among other deplorable things." — Kirsten, 19

15. When she considered the rights at stake.

"I cried when I was reading social media posts and realized that while I had voted for the first female president, it was becoming obvious that half the country had voted to take so many of my rights as a woman away. That feels like the exact opposite of where we should be going as a country. "— Ellie, 23

16. When she learned the first female presidency would not happen this year.

"I had just turned 18 on the first of November and could not wait to vote for a female president. I was and still am a strong supporter in what Hillary believes in! She's qualified and shows endless amounts of respect for every human being in this country. When I found out Trump won, I was speechless. I did not know whether to be angry, fearful, or sad. I was stunned. As a woman, a person of color, and a millennial, I have every right to fear this country and to be terrified of the hatred shown from last night's results. But I won't. I refuse to let Trump and his supporters' negativity silence me. I believe in kindness, equality, respect and love. He may have control of the country now, but he doesn't have control of our voices. Trump may not respect people like me, but I will shine through it and let Hillary's resilience and efforts empower me." — Eliz, 18

Hannah Orenstein is a writer at Seventeen.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.